Discussion

Adour @ St. Regis

I hate to say it, but I was very disappointed with my dinner last night.

It wasn't bad food. It was simply not memorable.

The dishes sounded exciting, and looked beautiful, but the taste just left me wanting a lot more. My duck breast was well seasoned but was a bit tough. My appetizer of gnocchi left a lot to be desired and it wasn't well seasoned at all.

The space is really lovely. I would go back to the bar for some cocktails, but unfortunately, I don't think I'll be eating there again anytime soon.

That seems to be the general consensus. My wife took me for my birthday last week. Everything was very good, but nothing was exceptional.

First, the space is very cool. The medium sized room is hung with huge old beams. The rest of the room is very modern. Two of the walls are wine bottles encased in glass. Chairs are white leather.

We had the tasting menu, and the one thing I like was that they had an option where we could buy two half bottles (one red, one white) that had been paired with the tasting menu. It allowed us to get comfortable with the wine, but avoided awkward pairings.

A bit of H2 oversell at the beginning. We were offered still or sparkling and ordered still. Tap was not offered and we had to ask for it. Otherwise, service was very good. Friendly, but not gregarious.

I thought the food was very good, but also thought everything needed a little salt or pepper. Thoughtfully, there was salt and pepper on the table. Standouts included a foie gras torchon that was bold and creamy served with toasted brioche, and the above referenced ricotta gnocchi, which I really enjoyed, even though I generally don't like ricotta or gnocchi. Perhaps it was the crispy prosciutto and wild mushrooms. The dusk breast filet was fine. I forgot the fish dish. We ordered cheese. It was tasty, but the bread was sliced too thick. I was very disappointed in the sable for desert. It only had one note, and seemed like the death by chocolate version. The macaroons were awesome, as were the chocolates which were boxed up for us.

Gauging this restaurant is tough, because of the name attached. Five or six years ago, regardless of the name, this would have been a stupendous restaurant in the District. Now, though, it doesn't quite challenge the best the city has. While very good, I probably won't return for a couple of years. I don't go out enough, and there is too much out there to sample when I do.